Randy and Lisa Wilson held their first father-daughter “Purity Ball” in 1998, and since that time, the events have blossomed into annual national events, garnering media attention from the New York Times to World Magazine.

Their son, Colten Wilson, an Admissions Associate at Patrick Henry, says that the Purity Balls started by his parents are an “outward, symbolic, and intentional celebration of the God-glorifying result when a dad determines to be a dad in his daughter's life.”

Wilson noted how, years ago, his parents clearly saw that when fathers involved themselves in their daughters’ lives, those girls were far less likely to become involved in a promiscuous lifestyle. They also recognized that there was little to celebrate or cultivate the beauty of the father-daughter relationship in modern culture. So his parents created the Purity Ball to highlight the special relationship between fathers and daughters, and to challenge fathers to set examples of integrity within their own homes.

Wilson noted that he and his siblings, all homeschooled, had all been impacted by the faith and godly model of his parents. “Before we started our ABCs, [my mom] taught us Scripture,” Wilson recalled.

“My sisters would agree that their experience with the Purity Balls, and the various reactions in culture it produced, was a primary thrust behind the book,” Wilson said. “The Purity Ball and its celebration of the father-daughter relationship shaped my sisters' lives and consequently played a big role in their book.”

As for Wilson, he credits his parents' influence on his life as a large part of his decision to attend PHC. When Wilson was 12, his mother read an article about a brand new college whose mission was to train and equip Christian men and women to be influential in the culture. At the time, Lisa Wilson wondered if her son might one day attend this college. A few years later, Wilson, who is presently serving the College as an Admissions Associate while continuing his undergraduate education at PHC, arrived on campus.

“I believe as Christians we are all called to impact culture, to have a deep, lasting, profound effect upon the societies in which we live, because we have the light of Christ,” Wilson says. “Consequently, my parents and I believed strongly in finding a college that focused on equipping people not merely to make a living, but to make a difference. That is the education I am receiving at PHC and that is the reason I am here.”